Restaurants in Hauz Khas lack environmental clearance

30 Jul, 2013

An application was filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking to know whether pollution control board’s no-objection certificate (NOC) was required to operate a restaurant, the provisions under which such NOCs were issued and whether any consent was issued to restaurants operating in the area of Hauz Khas village in New Delhi.

The reply, provided by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, states that while PCB’s NOC was required to run a restaurant, no environmental clearance has been issued to any of the restaurants numbering around 30 which are operating in the area.

The residents of the area have approached the National Green Tribunal contending that the restaurants are depleting groundwater and the lack of solid and liquid waste management is causing massive land and water pollution in the region. The petition also points to the alleged nexus between the municipal bodies, traders and the police in allowing eateries to operate without clearance certificates. The tribunal has asked the Union Ministry of Environment and the DPCC to file a reply by next month.